Pre-soaking Bark?

[VTA Cat]

Greetings, I read in another post that bark should be pre-soaked to enhance its water retention properties.

How long should the bark be soaked before being used?

Thank you.

[OrchidsPlz]

You don't HAVE to pre-soak but when i do it i soak the bark overnight/the day before reporting the orchid. You can also pot the orchid, then soak the plant in the pot.

Hope this helps

[VTA Cat]

Yes...very much. Thank you.

[Hawaiian Sunshine]

I soak my bark overnight in a large tub to capture what I consider the "good, clean" bark that float to the top. I discard the debris (water logged bark and dust) that sink to the bottom of the container. The amount of debris will vary. If I get a "bad" bag, I might end up discarding as much as 20% of the bag.

[Tschimm]

Thanks for that post. Presoaking made never sense to me...now it does 😀

[VTA Cat]

Thank you for the information. I'm going to soak bark tomorrow night for use on Saturday.

[Brooke]

It is easier to repot with dry bark. When you fill the pot, tap the sides of the pot and the bark will jiggle down into the open spaces.

I have been growing orchids for several years and have never pre-soaked my bark.

Brooke

[cbuchman]

I don't pre-soak my bark. As a result, I am very careful to give a little more water for the first few weeks since I know that the bark isn't retaining water so easily.

[dangerouseddy]

I used to pre-soak bark when I had low humidity but now I have a humidifier with a humidistat I don't bother.

[VTA Cat]

Thank you to everyone for all the guidance!